my happy place below:
The jungle santuary or aka the hoop house.
The rain keeps falling on Pickpocket Farm and the weeds keep growing out of control. At least I can escape to my hoop house. I have a bit more control over mother nature in the farm's hoop house in terms of watering, heat and insects. The vegetable are growing awesome in there. From left to right: Lola tomatoes, Shintokiwa Cucumbers, Eggplant/Pepppers, and Charentais Melons. Check out
my happy place below:
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Mint Garlic Scape Mint Pesto 1 cup Garlic Scapes, chopped in one inch pieces 1/2 cup Mint 1/2 cup Basil 2 TBSP pine nuts or walnuts 1 tsp salt 1tsp pepper 1/3 cup olive oil 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated Directions: Blend the scapes, mint, basil, pine nuts, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Process, adding the oil a bit at a time, until desired consistency. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly. Makes about 1 1/2 c. pesto.
White Russian Kale
The rain was very beneficial this past week and the new transplants and sprouting seeds loved it out in the field. This week we have: Kale (white, purple, and dinosaur) Romaine Head Lettuce Asparagus Fresh Herbs (thyme, sorrel, oregano) Basil Plants Last night we had Asian-Style Saute greens with our fresh fish for dinner. It was an easy and yummy way to eat the kale coming in. Asian-Style Saute 2 TBSP of sesame oil (we used olive oil, in the house) 3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped 1/2 pound mixed greens, coarsely chopped 1 TBSP vinegar 1 TBSP tamari freshly ground black pepper Heat oil in wok or large skillet to moderate heat. Add garlic and saute 2 min. Remove garlic and set aside. Saute the greens until just wilted. Remove from heat, and stir in vinegar, tamari, pepper, and garlic. Serve immediately. Great as a side dish or with rice. Makes 2-4 servings. From From Asparagus to Zucchini, by Madison Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition
Spring Garlic
I can't believe it's the first day already! We've got spring garlic, asparagus, white, purple and dinosaur kale, and spinach for pick up. In the Pick Your Own, you can find rhubarb, thyme, oregano, and chives. The New York Times wrote a nice article on spring garlic and what to do with it. Check it out!
Very Early Foggy Morning
The workload is really piling on now that the 2013 season is really getting under way. The greenhouse is completely filled with trays of plants on the tables and on the floor. Rob spent a good part of this weekend tilling the remainder of the field to prepare the soil for all those plants. Right now, we are harvesting Asparagus, Spinach, Bok Choy, Chinese Cabbage, Rhubarb and Sorrel. You can find out when they are available by getting on the farm stand e-mail list. So far, there are organic spring transplants of kale, lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers, summer squash, zucchini, and charentais melons for sale for your home garden out front of the farm. More varieties of veggies will appear as the week goes by. My favorite tomato heirloom, Pineapple Rainbow is available. It all colors once it's sliced open for an awesome presentation on your summer plate. Check out the pictures below to see what's been keeping us so busy! Pickpocket Farm will have organic non-gmo vegetable transplants available for purchase in May for your home garden. There will be many varieties such as tomatoes, peppers, summer squash, and cucumbers, greens and herbs to choose from. If you have a favorite in mind, drop me a message about anything in particular you really want in your garden. I may be able to get it started for you!
photo by Heather Stuber This is an Indian dish that is found in the bazaars of Delhi from street vendors. My recipe is a combination from a complicated version in an Indian cookbook and a label on a chick pea can. I have shared this recipe many times and it always becomes a frequently rotated meal soon after. I love this recipe too, because I can make it in the summer with fresh ingredients or veggies I've saved for the winter. Sour Chickpeas Ingredients: 3 tbsp cooking oil 3 medium onions chopped 2 garlic cloves minced 1 tbsp of grated ginger (or 1 1/2 tsp of ginger spice) 1 fresh hot chili (or none, if kids are eating) 3 14 oz canned Chick Peas 1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes or 3 -4 fresh tomatoes in summer 4 tbsp of lemon juice 1 tbsp of ground coriander 1 tbsp of ground cumin 1/2 tsp of ground tumeric 2 tsp of garam masala 1/4 of cayenne pepper 1/2 tsp of salt 1. Heat oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Saute onions, garlic, ginger and hot pepper until golden. 2. Add the tomatoes and continue to stir for 5-6 minutes. 3. Add the spices, coriander, cumin, tumeric, garam masala, and cayenne pepper, stir and simmer for about 20 minutes. 4. Add drained chickpeas and simmer for about 15 minutes. 5. Flavor with the lemon juice. And for extra flavor, add freshly chopped ginger, chili pepper, and garlic at the end. Serve with hot rice. Enjoy! We will be holding our yearly informational meeting about the farm and CSA shares on January 27th, 2013 from 4:30pm - 5:00pm. Anyone is welcome to attend. We will have light refreshments to share (maybe some jalapeño poppers from last season's farming).
Come and learn about the farm and meet other share members who are involved with the farm! Snow Covered Hoop House Happy New Year and welcome to 2013! We are making plans for the next coming season. It's my favorite time in snuggle up by the wood stove and pour over seed catalogs and spread sheets. Please contact me if you would like to be apart of the 2013 CSA share season. We will have lots more vegetables and three little piggies running around the farm again. |
AuthorAudrey Gerkin, is a gardener gone wild, after teaching in special education and raising 3 beautiful girls, ages 5 - 10, she has found a new calling in farming. Archives
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